Marine & Coastal Access Bill in the Lords

Submitted by Dan Hull on Mon, 2009-03-02 15:56
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Debate in the Committee stage of the Bill continues with commitments from the Government for marine heritage.

Riasing the biw section of the Princes Channel The Marine and Coastal Access Bill is being keenly debated in its Committee Stage in the House of Lords. Last week’s debate on heritage and archaeology amendments probed the question of why there is no specific reference to marine archaeology in the draft Bill or to English Heritage as a statutory consultee. The heritage provisions in the M&CA Bill are all the more significant given the uncertain future for the Heritage Protection Bill, which would have introduced new measures for protecting the marine historic environment. As matters currently stand only historic wrecks have legal protection.

Baroness Hooper and Lords Howarth, Judd and Chorley have eloquently made the case for amending the Bill to include specific provisions for the heritage. Although Baroness Hooper’s amendment was withdrawn after a keen debate, it drew a commitment from Lord Davies on behalf of Government that the marine policy statement will indeed set out the Government’s policy on safeguarding the marine environment which will include cultural and historic marine heritage and that English Heritage will be consulted wherever aspects of the marine conservation zones and marine plan are developed that affect anything to do with our heritage at sea. The matter is likely to be returned to at a later stage in the Bill’s progress. The debate in the Lords will continue through to its Report stage towards the end of March.

For further information on the Marine and Coastal Access Bill, and to read about the CBA’s view of this proposed legislation, visit our marine heritage page.

You can read the full debate on Clause 52 in the House of Lords here:

The Scottish Marine Bill is also in preparation and the results of public consultation on this were debated in the Scottish Parliament on 26 February. A transcript of this debate can be read here.